Declare national calamity on crop loss: CPI to Centre

Berhampur (Orissa): The CPI on Saturday asked the Centre to declare as national calamity the unseasonal rain that washed out the crops of farmers in Orissa, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu.

"As the extent of damage to crop was extensive in all three states during harvest, the Centre should treat it as a national calamity," CPI general secretary A B Bardhan told a meeting at Chhatrapur, the Ganjam district headquarters town. The CPI leader said "The government is not coming forward to help poor farmers, while corruption charges of several lakhs have been reported against its ministers."
The veteran CPI leader also highlighted the issue of the price rise of the essential commodities. "Onion is now selling at Rs 70 per kg."

He criticised the Naveen Patnaik government in Orissa saying it had violated all norms to handover prime land for setting up Posco`s steel plant in Jagatsinghpur.
"We will continue the stir against it. The agitation has now reached its last phase and the CPI will support the struggle of the local people against the steel giant and the government," he said.